scouting

noun

scout·​ing ˈskau̇-tiŋ How to pronounce scouting (audio)
Synonyms of scoutingnext
1
: the action of one that scouts
2
often Scouting : the activities of various national and worldwide organizations for youth directed to developing character, citizenship, and individual skills

Examples of scouting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Their scouting evaluation, comprehensive enough to unearth the aptitude beneath that bushy head of hair, compelled the team to select Bredeson in the fifth round of the 2026 draft. — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026 But the move also represented a pivot after the Lakers valued Joey and Jesse Buss for their roles with overseeing their G League team (Joey) and the Lakers’ scouting department (Jesse). — Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 Fox ignores it, and proceeds to give his pitcher a scouting report for the next batter. — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2026 Everything was happening simultaneously, writing the script, doing research, location scouting and that created a very interesting momentum. — Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for scouting

Word History

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of scouting was in 1590

Rhymes for scouting

See All Rhymes for scouting

Browse Nearby Words

scouther
scouting
scoutingly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Scouting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scouting. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

scouting

noun
scout·​ing ˈskau̇t-iŋ How to pronounce scouting (audio)
1
: the action of one that scouts
2
often capitalized : the activities of the various Boy Scout and Girl Scout groups

More from Merriam-Webster on scouting

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for scouting

Nglish: Translation of scouting for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of oxymoron

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All